The not too serious get fit thread

[Monster Dave]

depending on the goal, yes.

We'll...it's important to remember that not everyone has the specific goals.

[pitbull]

We'll...it's important to remember that not everyone has the specific goals.

I'm sorry.........I don't think I understand what you're saying

[Monster Dave]

[KnightofNi]

I understand what you're saying.

I've always thought that there was a big difference between "living to eat" and "eating to live" - it's surprising to me how many people simply just 'like to eat' (no offense intended).

I like food too, but I find that overall I'm happier with things in moderation. My cycling performance relies so heavily on the 'fuel' that I put in my 'tank', and I believe that I can really tell a difference if I ate a healthy dinner the night before a training ride. The same goes for breakfast. I think that you do get out what you put in.

That's a part of my point. you do it because you are all gung ho on the cycling and have to watch it. most people are not. I am not a professional athlete, i'm a recreational athlete. i like being in shape, but i also don't want to worry about how what goes in will affect me. i enjoy the things that are bad for me. a lot of the time i enjoy them in levels far above moderation as well. 
because i do that it does not make me a bad person, just a different person with a different outlook on life.

[Monster Dave]

That's a part of my point. you do it because you are all gung ho on the cycling and have to watch it. most people are not. I am not a professional athlete, i'm a recreational athlete. i like being in shape, but i also don't want to worry about how what goes in will affect me. i enjoy the things that are bad for me. a lot of the time i enjoy them in levels far above moderation as well.  
because i do that it does not make me a bad person, just a different person with a different outlook on life.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't judging you or your response - I was just making an observation. Sorry if it still came across that way.  


Food for thought (no pun intended) - according to recent Galluop-Healthways survey, 63.1% of Americans are either overweight or obese!!! 63.1%!!  

That's an absolutly staggering number to say the least. To divide that out a bit more, the study found that 36.6% of that total are overweight and 26.5% are obese!!

No matter how you look at it, in America, people who live and maintain a healthy weight range are an absolute minority!!  

[akmnstr]

Food for thought (no pun intended) - according to recent Galluop-Healthways survey, 63.1% of Americans are either overweight or obese!!! 63.1%!!  
That's an absolutly staggering number to say the least. To divide that out a bit more, the study found that 36.6% of that total are overweight and 26.5% are obese!!

No matter how you look at it, in America, people who live and maintain a healthy weight range are an absolute minority!!  

Damn sad isn't it.  I don't understand it myself.  The figures leave me with lots of questions.  Do obese American's have low self esteem and a poor self image.  Why am I driven to control my weight and fitness and others are not?  I see families in which all members are obese and I wonder is it there a group acceptance there that it is okay to be unhealthy?  Is this what happens to humans in a technical age, we get fat when we no longer have to struggle to survive? 

There is a lot more ugly data associated with the overweight figures.  Many health issues related to an overweight America.   

[He Man]

is about access and image.

if you grow up with fat parents and fat friends its acceptable to be large. If the activies that you do are non active then you end up sitting around with a bunch of non active people.

good food is also much more expensive. when you compare the cost of things, a $1 cheese burger cant get you anything but maybe 2 apples. And when it comes to taste the burger wins.

Ease of access, burgerkings and mcdonalds everywhere, but the supermarket isle doesnt have jack squat. You want to make a healthy meal for your family with veggies and fruits? it will be way more expensive the nteh dollar menu at the drive thru plus you dont have to cook.

[DanTheMan]

good food is also much more expensive. when you compare the cost of things, a $1 cheese burger cant get you anything but maybe 2 apples. And when it comes to taste the burger wins.

Ease of access, burgerkings and mcdonalds everywhere, but the supermarket isle doesnt have jack squat. You want to make a healthy meal for your family with veggies and fruits? it will be way more expensive the nteh dollar menu at the drive thru plus you dont have to cook.

After spending some time in asia i noticed this a lot. Its cheaper to have a "home cooked" meal at a local street vendor than to have any type of fast food. The foods are fresher most bought at some sort of market that morning. Family life is different so there is always some one at home cooking a fresh dinner. Snack foods (Oreo's for example)cost more than a bowl of soup! Why would you snack when you can have a good dinner cheaper. Less fried food and dairy, lots of vegetables. Very little bread or just processed store food. You go to the fresh market for all your food, there is no grocery stores.

I think for us its about being cheap and convenient to stop at fast food for our too busy on the go lifestyle. Where there is rarely any time in the day to sit down and eat, or take the time to shop and cook everyday.

[Monster Dave]

is about access and image.

if you grow up with fat parents and fat friends its acceptable to be large. If the activies that you do are non active then you end up sitting around with a bunch of non active people.

good food is also much more expensive. when you compare the cost of things, a $1 cheese burger cant get you anything but maybe 2 apples. And when it comes to taste the burger wins.

Ease of access, burgerkings and mcdonalds everywhere, but the supermarket isle doesnt have jack squat. You want to make a healthy meal for your family with veggies and fruits? it will be way more expensive the nteh dollar menu at the drive thru plus you dont have to cook.

Correctly me if I'm wrong, but basically what you're saying is that a person doesn't have to take responsibility for themselves for being over weight or obese because it's acceptable to family and friends?

I call BS on that one - I think that's a cop-out. If a person wants to be more active, then it really has nothing to do with their non-active friends. As I see it, you're describing a codependency problem - one enabling the other - which is a whole different problem all together.

Ease of access does play into it - who can deny that fast food restaurants are well....everywhere. However 'ease of access' sound an awful lot like laziness.

Sure, organic products are outrageously expensive, but no ones saying that you have to buy organic. You can easily go to the store, buy the fixings for a meal that will feed you for several days. Divide out the cost and you'll be getting far more for your money than you get at McD's for a meal...not to mention a much healthier meal.

It's true that we live fast pace lives, but preparing for the week ahead of time makes that a very minor issue - and in the end you wind up saving money because of the effort that you put in in order to head yourself off at the pass.

[akmnstr]

I don't think the fast food is cheaper argument is true.  If you buy in season vegetables and grains you can do better than fast food. 

It really doesn't save much money the way we do it, but we have a veggie garden which makes eating healthy meals fun.  Right now we are harvesting the best tasting tomatoes in the universe.

Not to blame the government, because that is the universal cop-out,  but we do not pay the true cost of that hamburger.  Beef is cheap because cattle are fed cheap corn.  Corn is cheap because there is a government subsidy.  The same corn is used to make corn sweeteners,  chips, and other forms of junk food. 

You really can't blame someone else for what you put in your mouth.   

[Monster Dave]

You really can't blame someone else for what you put in your mouth.    

Ding Ding Ding! I think we have a winner!!

[bulldogs2k]

I'm beat...I did a 20 mile training ride in the AM and went to Judo practice this evening.  now it's time to crawl into a hole and sleep till Saturday. 

[KnightofNi]

back to the obese thing for a minute. according to some sources i was obese at 250. I'm also 6'2"
I didn't look obese. i looked like i had some chub to me. when that was starting to convert to muscle I was still overweight at 235lbs. because of muscle. there are a lot of factors that are overboard. you can be a bit chubby or "overweight" and still be pretty healthy.
now when you can't walk to the car without being out of breath, that is a problem. i'm not saying that there aren't a lot of seriously unhealthy fat people out there, i'm saying that the line of healthy and 6% body fat is a lot wider than most of the health nuts seem to think.

healthy food - making the right choices is hard. esp when you are busy and poor. that $1 cheeseburger an 2 for $1 apple pies are very easy to buy and you dont' have to do any more prep to eat than opening a wrapper. i personally find it rather hard to find time to cook, and cook healthier (only 2 tbsp of butter instead of 4  ) it seems half the time when i finally make it home from work i am totally exhausted and am not going to the store to get fresh veggies (i eat a lot of frozen ones as a result). some nights i don't even eat dinner. i just come in, sit down for a bit and then fall asleep. if i'm feelin up to it i make a can or 2 of tuna into salad and eat that. anyways, having been on both sides of the issue i see how difficult it is to eat healthy, but i also see why you guys don't understand it. i know what i should be choosing, it jsut isn't always feasible.


in other news, the scale told me i was 213 and change this morning. i also realized that my belly isn't forcing my shirt out as much. now if i could jsut get some freaking definition on the upper body. this is all really just an excersize in narcissism. i want to be fawned over when i take off my shirt. lol

[akmnstr]

i want to be fawned over when i take off my shirt. lol

Whatever the motivation you need to use, use it!

I understand that it is easier to eat junk; no doubt, it takes a little more effort to have
a good healthy diet.  I'm lucky that I have a wife that loves to cook and understands good nutrition. 
Back when I was single my diet was not quite as good, but it was still better than what most folks eat.
I had a selection of very simple recipes that were healthy and cheap to make.  I used some packaged dinners too, but
those were better than fast food.  When I did cook from scratch I'd make enough for several days.  I also had a small garden back then and when it was producing I'd eat more fresh veggies and salads.  What I'm saying is that is doable and not expensive to eat well, even for a lazy bachelor.   

[He Man]

let me go back on that for a second Monster Dave,

You are totally responsible for what you eat and what you do. However, as a child your mind follows those around you. You are not aware of personal decisions yet. And as a consequence, if those around you are fat and lazy, in YOUR mind, it is okay because that is all you ever knew. Im not saying that the kid has to take his own action, im saying the kid doenst know any better because there is no other influence to eat better and be more active.

On the topic of organic foods, I never said you had to buy organic either. (your inferring quite a lot from what i said!) I said veggies aren't exactly cheap. Compare the cost of 20 Burger patties plus buns to cook on your george forman grill. $15 for a box of 20 patties and 2x $.99cent buns. thats $17 bucks for 20 burgers that could feed you a whole week.

To feed yourself with veggies for a whole week? with lean meats that are cooked properly and arent destroyed with fats and grease? I'll tell you it wont cost you $20 bucks and wont taste nearly as good. (taste is important for the averege joe. While i can eat oatmeal which taste like nothing without loads of surger and spcies, i know that eating the oatmeal about 1-2 hours before i do my Muay Thai, i feel TONS better because its a pretty solid fuel for me).

And it certainly wont fill you up. You need a combination of Fat and fiber to feel full. So obviously the EASY choice to make is the chepa burger that you cook at home. Not to mention the plethora of fried chicken and burger deals at fastfood resturants.

My point is, the industry makes it diffiult to eat healthy. Unless you are from a culture that naturally eats pretty healthy then its easy. Which brings me back to my point about ease of access. I shop at asian markets. And because I grew up eating lots of veggies, i pretty much got used to it and it is easy for me. My friends looked at me all werid when i would bring my school lunch compared to their ham sandwhiches. But that was me. But if i was a spanish kid who ate fried chicken every day and all his freinds except this one asian kid who ate some werid stuff, then i would think (and conseuqently my parents would think so as well) that eating fried chicken or having a burger is okay.

Look at the NYC school lunches. Heres what i grew up eating in the cafe

Burgers, Lasagna, Pizza, fried chicken, beef patties and tuna fish.

From High school up to about a year ago, i fell into the eating habbits of americans and i gained about 20lbs. I didnt realize it until my ex broke up with me and said you were the fattest guy ive ever dated (okay i was only 160 then) and i looked in the mirror and went holy crap i am getting chubby. But it was much easier for me to change my diet then a kid who grew up eating crap.

maybe i repeated myself several times, but i tend to not revise my post and im just going to click POST. you guys get the point though. Now im going to have myself some foooodddd cause I be hungry.